Hepatitis A Vaccine
What is Hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is a liver infection that is spread in the poo of an infected person. Most people who get it get better within a few months.
Hepatitis A is not common in the UK but it is common in other parts of the world.
How you can get Hapatitis A?
Hepatitis A is caused by a virus that spreads in poo.
The infection is more common in parts of Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Central and South America.
You can get hepatitis A from:
- drinking unclean water
- eating food that's been washed or grown in unclean water
- eating food that's been handled by an infected person
- close physical contact with an infected person, including having sex and sharing needles to take drugs
Symptoms of Hepatitis A
Symptoms of hepatitis A infection include:
- a high temperature
- flu-like symptoms, such as tiredness, headache, and muscle pains
- feeling sick or being sick
- pain in your upper tummy
- diarrhoea or constipation
- pale yellow or pale grey poo
- dark brown pee
- itchy skin – you may also have a raised rash (hives)
- yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (jaundice) - this may be harder to see on brown and black skin
Most children, and some adults, may have mild symptoms or no symptoms.
How to Prevent Hepatitis A
Vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A vaccines are not routinely offered in the UK because the risk of getting infected is low.
You only need to get a vaccine if you are at high risk of catching or getting seriously ill from hepatitis A. For example:
- you are travelling to a country where hepatitis A is common – you may need to pay for a hepatitis A vaccine for travel
- you have recently been in close physical contact with someone with hepatitis A
- you have long-term liver disease
- you have a blood clotting disorder, such some people with haemophilia
- you are a man who has sex with men
- your job puts you at risk of infection – for example, you’re a healthcare worker or a sewage worker
- you’ve shared needles, syringes or other equipment for injecting drugs
Hepatitis A vaccination
Vaccination is the best way to prevent hepatitis A.
Hepatitis A vaccines are not routinely offered in the UK because the risk of getting infected is low.
You only need to get a vaccine if you are at high risk of catching or getting seriously ill from hepatitis A. For example:
- you are travelling to a country where hepatitis A is common – you may need to pay for a hepatitis A vaccine for travel (you can check the risks of a country you're travelling to on the TravelHealthPro website)
- you have recently been in close physical contact with someone with hepatitis A
- you have long-term liver disease
- you have a blood clotting disorder, such some people with haemophilia
- you are a man who has sex with men
- your job puts you at risk of infection – for example, you’re a healthcare worker or a sewage worker
- you’ve shared needles, syringes or other equipment for injecting drugs
How do I get the Hepatitis A vaccine?
Please contact the Sunderland Sexual Health Service on (0191) 569 9966 for more information and to arrange a consultation.
